GUBNA Imperial IPA | Oskar Blues Grill & Brew

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Notes / Commercial Description:
Gubna was bred from Oskar Blues Brewery’s hankering to confront 100+ IBUs by cranking up the complexity of hops by pouring Cascade on top of copious amounts of Summit, then balancing that with a backbone of German Dark Munich Malt and Rye Malt. GUBNA’s post-fermentation dry-hopping with both hops allows this monstrosity to gently coax the citrus rind and grapefruit aroma while providing a rye malt-induced, spicy-yet-round middle, and a brisk, clean bitter finish (10 percent ABV, 100+ IBUs).

Reviews by DillanWeems:

More User Reviews:

Guy at the liquor store thought it was the best beer ever and it was Oskar Blues so I had to try it. Called "Gubna" because it's what you say when you try to say "Governor" after drinking 2 of these beasts.

A - Deep orange color. Hazy DIPA with lots of white head coming out of my glass and strong lacing.

S - Extra strong hop fragrance with lots of citrus and resiny tones. Could smell it before I picked it up. Almost perfume like from the magnitude of aromatics. Alcohol definitely present as well.

T - Full flavored with a pungent hop character that has resin, citrus, fruit, herb and with some alcohol and malt to round it out. Full bitterness from the alpha acids but it isn't the only thing you taste with the malt other flavors mixing together to make this beer complex and tasty.

Overall, a solid IIPA. Great aroma, and good flavor, feel, appearance, but doesn't have as much citrus character as I love in an IIPA. This brew isn't nice to your palate but if you like big, resiny, and complex beer I'd recommended it.

12 oz can poured into a Firestone glass.Smell is a strong Grapefruit.Surprisingly mild taste for a 10.0 ipa but not one of the better IPA`s i`ve had.Don`t think i would buy this again.I bought this on the strength of 10/50 being so good but this is not close to as good of beer as that one is.

A decent imperial IPA from a can. It has a great drinkability that you don't get too often from an imperial. It's smooth, not too bitter and has a great finish and a unique taste. I'm drinking it on the beach and it is just a great beer. I wouldn't think of an imperial being beach material, but it is!

Oskar Blues brewery does a great job with their packaging too. Always fun and interesting to read the cans.

Seeing the mixed reviews of this beer,I was almost hesitent to buyit,but alas I did.Poured into a tulip glass a clear bronze with a fluffy one finger white head that never really fades completely.Hmm the hop aromas are a bit different,there is a resinous quality,but like a few others have stated there is a "meaty" quality to it wich is odd,also I pick up some leather wich I normally wouldnt find in a DIPA.wow the flavors are very odd,the Summit hop gives off an odd flavor,its gotta green leafiness to it and a weird kind of fruitiness as well,its a bit prickly and not fun to drink really.Hmm this is different in a not so good kinda way.

Appearance - It's not often that I call something a "beautiful yellowish-brown" but this beer is a joy to see. The color is so delicate yet pure it's almost like a color you'd find in a good paint. The head was immaculate as well. It was thick and white, held up nicely, and left some great lacing.

Smell - This aroma is rank with pine resin. Someone told me that summit is similar to simcoe and although admittedly this is my firs taste of summit it is a lot more piney then the simcoe that I've had. Judging by the beer's color and the alcohol content I'm sure there's a nice malt base to this DIPA but all I can smell are these massive hops and boy are they a pleasure to the olfactory bulb.

Taste - The hops aren't even thinking about mellowing at the taste. This is a stank hop brew for sure. The malts come out a lot more on the tongue and they have a nice sweetness but this is all about the summit.

Mouthfeel - This is on the light side of medium-bodied but the thinness of the beer pairs well with the flavors. The carbonation is mild so I found myself drinking this potent brew in gulps.

Drinkability - If you want a new hop experience you have to try a can of Gubna. It is a huge hop-heavy beer but goes down easy and has a unique character. I can see how some maybe didn't like it because it's so different but I thought this was great.

Note: This is a strange score because I'm rating Taste at 4.0 but Drinkability at 5.0. I thought the hops and malts clashed a bit which is why I 4'ed the taste but this beer went down in gulps. It is so smooth and the hop dryness just keeps it going.

Pours golden, which I do love it when my pale ales are pale. Not much head.

The aroma jumps out with litter box and kind. Bitter orange.

Some biscuity malt comes through in the initial flavor. Indescribable things happen. Certain citrus fruits. Not too well defined, but tasty nonetheless. It slides across the tongue without any discrepancy as far as mouthfeel is concerned. It also drinks really easily for 10% abv.

I'm surprised this beer doesn't get higher scores. It's not the most exciting DIPA out there, it's very different, but it is solid. Worth a try.

A huge thanks to Chris for throwing this in during a DLD trade as it's both a brewery and a beer I've wanted to get a hold of.

Poured from the can into a Duvel tulip glass.

The can opens without much fanfare which makes me question its carbonation. It pours an almost clear bright golden honey with a minimal white head.

The smell has an interesting unique hop profile and I don't think I've had a beer showcasing summit hops before. There are some mild citrus notes up front but then goes into a little bit of onionish smells. A distinct alcohol presence is also there, understandable for a beer of 10% ABV but I've had plenty of other DIPA's that hid their alcohol content behind strong hop aromas.

The hop flavor was surprisingly lacking. I was all geared up for a hop assault but it never came. The hop flavors that was there were more slanted toward a vegetale flavor. It's not a terrible hop flavor but not something I would prefer. The bitterness in the beer is very present as it should be at 100 IBU's and the nice thing is it's a smooth bitterness without a lingering aftertaste. There isn't much malt presence and I can't detect any of the rye or dark Munich used at all.

Mouthfeel is decent and despite the lack of pop when opening the can the carbonation is on the high side.

Overall there isn't anything terribly wrong this beer but the flavor profile just isn't hitting any high notes with me. I do appreciate how smooth the bitterness is though since that is one of the things that can win me over with a DIPA.

well, I have to say, i was a little put off by the initial smell of this one @ first, kind of like a locker room @ half time... anyhow, being a big fan of deviant dales and g'knight, I managed... The taste was quite hoppy and had a hint of spice.. alcohol present, but not overwelming @ all.... the lacing could be read like a book, and the finish wasn't so bad either... I probably wouldn't buy this again, but I would buy all the deviant dales I could find... I hope that makes up for a not so great review...

Pours into my glass a deep reddish orange with good clarity and two fingers of creamy bubbling white head on top. Aromas of weed, cat piss, pine and smidge of citrus. Kinda dirty/earthy in a way as well. Just not very enticing to me overall.

First sip brings brash hops upfront, weedy and grassy with a touch of citrus. Resinous pine notes abound. Caramel malt hints that don't really stand up to the wall of hops. Big bitter finish but overall I don't find the hop profile too be that enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is smooth and a bit creamy, however there's a sugary slickness as well that I didn't really like. Overall, a middle of the road DIPA. I don't think it's horrible but it also doesn't leave me desiring more.

One of the nice things about living in southern Maine is that you can take advantage of beers appearing in New Hampshire that have yet to make their way into Maine. Oskar Blues, for example.
This was one of the IPAs I had on New Years Day while I was planted on my couch watching bowl games. A nice enough beer, not outstanding.
In a tulip glass the beer was copper colored with a white head that left a bit of lace.
An outdoors aroma, fresh. Sweet malt. A little bit of citrus.
The taste was pretty malt forward, a little peppery. Grapefruit and a touch of pine.
One of the more malty IPAs I have had. Alcohol was well-hidden.

The beer flows out a cloudy orange with a bubbly one-finger head that leaves lacing the length of the glass.

The smell is of grapefruit and candied fruit, a little floral note and a hit of booze.

The taste is, initially, a big bitter attack: pine and grapefruit pith with a shot of sweet candy in the middle and then a long, lingering, bitter drying finish. As it warms a bit, I can taste more of the sweet malt and rye. The booze is also a bit more obvious as the temp rises a bit.

The mouthfeel is smooth and a bit bubbly.

Overall, I quite enjoyed this beer. It's definitely big and bold but also packs a lot of flavor.